Woman falls on bus, seeks personal injury compensation

Llanrhos native Phyllis Edwards, aged 69, has filed a personal injury claim against the bus operator for the trauma, pain, and suffering she claims to have suffered from her fall when the bus performed an emergency stop. Mrs Edwards hurt her left shoulder and bumped her head when the safety strap the elderly woman had been holding broke during the bus manoeuvre.

Mrs Edwards was left in considerable pain after her tumble, as she was already recovering from a surgical procedure that had been performed on her back recently. The 69 year old woman explained that she’s drowsy all the time due to the strength of the painkillers she’s on.

Mrs Edwards was paid a visit by two Arriva representatives the day after her fall. The bus operator enquired after her injuries and presented her with a bouquet of flowers. A few days later, the injured woman received a second visit, but the company has still not accepted liability for the accident nor has she received a written apology from Arriva.

Mrs Edwards remarked in a recent interview that she was most concerned with the breaking safety strap, complaining that she wouldn’t have fallen and sustained so much shock and pain if the strap had held.

The elderly woman had been on Arriva’s X5 service en route to Llandudno from Llanrhos on 23 November of 2011 when the incident took place. Planning to get off in Mostyn Street at North Western Gardens at 10.20am, Mrs Edwards described how she got up as the bus began to pull into the stop, holding onto the strap, but she had been thrown forward once the driver slammed on the brakes, snapping the strap.